Do You Wanna Dance
by Daughter of Hypnos
Summary: "I like girls like you, who aren't ashamed of who they are. As far as I'm concerned, you're beautiful, Nyssa." Sweet moment between Will Solace and Nyssa. Short spin-off/continuation of my story "Girl Next Door."


She wasn't pretty like the Aphrodite girls that mocked her. Or unrealistically smart, like the Athena kids, or super human, like the Big three children. The whole camp didn't like her like her late brother. She didn't have control over fire, like her new brother. She was good with her hands. That's all seven years at camp had brought Nyssa. Mockery and virtual invisibility. It seemed people only noticed her if they were noticing her flaws. No one past her older brother, Jake, ever seemed to see past the layers of grease.

Nyssa tried to do something about the mockery of the Aphrodite cabin, and now here she was, washing dishes, as the rest of the camp sang and ate smores at the campfire. All she did was punch Drew in her scrunched up little face the night before. "We have a lot in common, Nyssa. We both inherited our godly parents looks" was the straw that broke the camels back. Drew and a few other members of her cabin had called her many other things, including "Ugly step-sister" and "Bob the Builder."

Maybe they were right, Nyssa thought as she scrubbed a plate clean. She held up the plate and used it a mirror. There was a motor oil stain on her nose, a zit on her chin, and her skin was very oily. These were things she normally wouldn't really care about. Most of the Hephaestus kids had those flaws, the girls in cabin nine weren't meant to be the prettiest girls in camp; they were meant to build things.

Nyssa didn't usually let what others said about her control her life. But after a while, you start to believe it. _"Ugly Step Sister," "You have your fathers looks," "Really ugly," _Drew's cold words stung like ice as they bounced around Nyssa's head. She blinked hard and there the plate in her hand at the wall. Then she did something she hadn't done since Beckendorf had died.

She cried.

She sat on the cold floor of the kitchen and sobbed. She didn't know another person had entered the kitchen until they said, "Nyssa, are you all right?"

It was Will Solace. Nyssa looked up and saw he actually looked concerned. "What are you doing here?" She asked.

"I didn't feel like going to the campfire, so I went to my cabin. But then I got hungry, so here I am," He sat down of the ground next to her. "Why are you crying? Is it about what Drew is saying?" Nyssa put her finger to her nose, like in charades, signaling to him he got it right.

"Why would you let her get to you?"

"Because she was…right." Nyssa told him.

"No, she wasn't."

"Yes, she was. Look at me. I spend all my waking hours covered in sweat, dirt, and motor oil. And she is beautiful."

"She kind of looks like an Asian Snooki. You know, short, stupid, way too tan."

Nyssa laughed at Will. "I think you're prettier than Drew." Will told her as he wiped a tear from her cheek with his thumb, he then tried to hold her hand, but she was still wearing the fireproof gloves and they were still hot from the lava. "Ow!" Will recoiled.

"Sorry!" Nyssa said as she quickly pulled the gloves off. Will took her hand. "Your hands are cold," Nyssa told him.

"Yours are warm, like my mothers. Do you wanna dance?"

"What?"

"Come one," Will said pulling her to her feet.

"With you?"

"No, with my mother," Will told her as he spun her around.

Will was a surprisingly good dancer. He led Nyssa through short series of steps, turns, and spins. They were both laughing by the time the dance ended, and Nyssa was up against Will chest. Nyssa noticed that he was about five inches taller than her, and she was 5'6.

Will put his forehead to hers, and looked her in the eye. He surprised her when he said, "Truth or dare?"

She looked at him quizzically for a moment before answering, "Truth."

"You never seem to let anything bother you. Of all people, why did Drew?"

"She has tormented me for so long that I guess I started to believe it. I'm a girl, I still want to feel and look beautiful. And I still have insecurities. Now it's your turn. Truth or dare?"

"Truth."

"Did you mean it when you said that you thought I was prettier than Drew?"

"Yes. I hate girl like her. The ones who think that they are better than everyone else. That always tears people down. And the ones who wear too much make up. Gods, I hate when girls wear a lot of make up. I think it makes them look fake, like they are trying to hide who they are. I get if a girl wants to wear a little, but that much all the time? It looks like you are ashamed of yourself, so you try and hide behind a mask. I like girls like you, who aren't ashamed of who they are. As far as I'm concerned, you're beautiful, Nyssa. Truth or dare?"

Nyssa blushed and felt her hear beat against her chest rapidly,"Dare." she responded.

Will thought for a moment, then looked Nyssa in the eye, "Kiss me."

Nyssa nearly jumped from the shock, but she went through with her dare. She leaned up and kissed him lightly. At sixteen years old, she never would admit that was her first kiss. When she pulled away, Will mumbled, "Wow." They were both blushing now.

"Truth or dare?" Nyssa asked.

"Dare."

"Kiss me." And he kissed her, with a bit more intensity then she had kissed him with. It lasted longer, too.

_Relationships with Apollo kids usually move quickly. End just about as quickly." _Her older brother, Jake, had told her after his girl friend of two weeks, Melody, broke up wit him. She was a daughter of Apollo and was now off at Julliard for collage. She was dating a son of Aphrodite now, Ryan (who was studding film at NYU). But Ryan and Melody had been friends since they were born. Aphrodite introduced Melody's mom to Apollo. Aphrodite was dating Ryan's dad at the time. Them getting together was as inevitable as Percy and Annabeth getting together.

But at that moment, Nyssa didn't care about her brother's advice. She wrapped her arms around Will's neck, and he wrapped his arms around her waist and they pulled closer to each other.

When the pulled apart again, Will asked, "Truth or dare?"

"Truth."

"Do you like kissing me?"

"Yeah, a lot. Your turn, truth or dare?"

"Truth."

"Did you know we sill have dishes to wash?" She asked smugly as she pulled away from him, grabbed an extra pair of gloves and threw them at his face.

"Hey!" He protested; she laughed.

"Are you going to be okay?" Will asked at the end of the night. He was walking her back to her cabin after they spent the night together talking and doing dishes.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. I'm a girl spontaneously crying is just one of the many things girls have to deal with." Will smiled, as they reached her cabin. He kissed her cheek and said "Goodnight, Nyssa."

**Continuation/ spin-off of my other story "Girl Next Door" I would like it if you read that, too :). **

**Okay, I should stop writing things while I watch "Rent", if you get why, leave a comment. If you don't know why, please, still leave a comment. **

**Sorry this is kind of cheesy :/**


End file.
